900km!!

Just a quicky to note that yesterday I went over 900km! Check out the "RUNNING (and walking) TOTAL" in the left panel. Ok so it's taken more than a year, but I think by the end of September I'll probably be over 1000km! And thats almost an average of 60km a month for 15 straight months... I think I must be nuts!

Week 33 - the rest

I started the 2 runs a day this week, as mentioned in my previous post. So in total I ran 22km this week, which is not too shabby I guess, it's just that I've run faster and I'm not feeling particularly strong. The morning runs are great, and it's quite nice to just do a short run in the morning. It wakes you up for the day! I haven't been running them particularly fast. Wednesday was 7:19 and Friday 7:15, but that should improve as the running time goes up. As for next week, my running partner has suggested that we increase the running time by 5 seconds a day. I'm a bit skeptical but I'll give it a go.

Yesterday while running I was thinking that there must be an optimal resting time for me. That is clearly demonstrated by a 10km run we did a few weeks ago. I'd wanted to do an easy run, so I set the rest interval at 2mins and the running time to 45 seconds. But the result was a very satisfying 79mins for 10km. OK it's not fast, but it just demonstrated to me that if I rest enough I could complete a run faster.

So that set me thinking... wouldn't it be cool if someone interested in this kind of thing (people with chronic illnesses) could help me work out an optimal program? I spoke to my club manager about a training program, but I really don't think he understood what my problem is, and he didn't seem to be interested in taking the time to find out. So what I am seriously thinking of doing is offering myself as a study subject to the biokinetics department at the University of Pretoria. Perhaps there would be a student who would be interested in working with me, and perhaps my cardiologist, to get the most out of me? Because, if I'm honest with myself, even though I'm listening to my body, I'm also kindof clutching in the dark at this thing. It would be great to have someone really interested in researching exercise options for someone like me.


Anyone have any comments? Suggestions?

Week 33 - Atleast the first half of it

What I learned from the 15km and the 30km is that I need to get more distance under my belt, I need to do more 10km+ runs. At the same time though, I really want to get a little faster. Add to that what I learned from last years summer - I don't run well in the heat and humidity. All this adds up to one thing. I need to some morning training.

I can't follow any of the traditional training plans, for obvious reasons. I can't follow the pace goals that those programs set you, and I'm not sure if I can follow the distance goals just yet either. However any morning run adds to my distance and I've read that you can gain from splitting your training into shorter session split between the morning and evening. So basically, to get to the distance goals the traditional programs suggest I will just run more short runs in the mornings.

I also want to work on my pace and endurance, extending the time I spend running while maintaining my resting time. My goal pace is currently 6min/km. What I decided to do was to measure out a straight km. So there and back would give me 2km. On this course I can change my running/walking times until I am comfortable running at 6min/km. Once I've done that I'll increase the distance to 3km and so on.

In the evenings for now I will probably try to get my pace to about 7:30 a km and keep it there, while increasing the distance I run. I think until the end of August I'll continue to run 6's and then start running 7's in September. However when summer comes I will probably try to run more in the mornings and less in the hot afterrnoons.

So I started this disjointed training this morning, running the 2km stretch in 14:38 (7:19/km), and not feeling particularly uncomfortable about it. I will change the times every Monday, hopefully I'll get to the 6min/km mark quite quickly over this short distance. I've yet to see what I feel like this afternoon, but it is a great way to start the day!

Week 32 - Sortof back into it (3-9Aug)

What incredibly frustrating about being me is that I work really hard to get to a level of fitness, for months at a time, and all of that seems to vanish in a few moments when I get sick. That not only makes going for a run less fun, but also destroys my motivation! So I went for a walk on Sunday 3 Aug, did what I assume was about 5km in 50mins, which was fine. It was when I went for my first run on Monday evening that I realised my fitness was seriously compromised.

The route was Spiral which is 5.5km and it took a dismal 51 mins to complete, because I simply couldn't run, there was nothing there when I tried to turn it on :( . The running club was doing a VO2 Max test on Wednesday, so I skipped that and went for another 60min walk, which I assume was about 6km. Friday was a little better, I did 4km in 33min, but still far off the pace of the 15km I'd done 3 weeks before.

There is a possible added reason for my feeling a bit flat. I was taking some supplements, Co-Enzyme Q10, which I haven't actually run past my doctor...so don't tell him :P. But when I got some symptoms that my INR was too high, bruising etc, I stopped taking them and went for a long overdue blood test...yes I hate them! My blood was pretty much fine, but I don't really want to start taking them again and have them change my INR. Next time I see my Cardiologist I will ask him about Co-Q10, I've done a little research and there seems to be some strong indications that this stuff may be of some help. If coming off it has contributed to my feeling less fit then thats a clear indication in my book... however, the eternal skeptic says, it could also just be psychosomatic!

Anyway, whats the moral of the story? Firstly, don't over do it Mark! Duh! And second, don't try things without talking to a doctor (in my defence I started on a very small dose)

Week 31 - Straight after Walk the Talk

To say that 30km was over doing it is an understatement I guess. I was finished! I think that probably contributed wit what happened later in the week. I got to work on Wednesday and all was fine, however by about 10am my hands were really cold. I got a cup of coffee and put my hands under the hot tap, when I got back to my office I put the aircon on hot, which I very seldom do (energy use, carbon footprint etc). Nothing worked and half an hour later I was shivering like I was outside in subzero temperatures in my undies.

Needless to say I went home, which was interesting considering I ride a motorcycle (energy use, carbon footprint, financially sensible). I got home and went to bed. I then sent SA Doc what must have been a really annoying sms, but considering my other close doc friend was in SCOTLAND at the time, she was my only option. She told me my symptoms were pretty broad and that, considering my condition, I should see a doctor. I knew she would say that, so I went to the doctor, because at this stage I was pretty alarmed.

The doctor was unimpressed by my "alarming" symptoms and sent me home with a letter booking me off till the weekend. He said I had "viremia", which is short for "I have no idea what you have but you will live", and told me it would pass in 48 hours, which it did! I had fever and a headache all of Wednesday night, read a book most of Thursday, slept like a log on Thursday night and went back to work on Friday.

Needless to say the only exercise I did was 2.8 VERY slow km's on monday.